Celebrate Life By Greg Schaefer ‘98 & Jeremy Goebel ‘06
In a year that has brought much adversity, it is necessary for us to look around and see how much we have to be thankful for. Life is good! You matter! And so does everyone else!
Jason told the adoption story of each of their six children. Their openness and appreciation for life serves as a great witness of what it means to truly celebrate life!
The lives that we live are worth being excited about and should be celebrated. As we recognize the value in our own lives, we should also be able to see the great beauty in the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters around us.
To go with the theme of celebrating the gift of all life, the Mater Dei Students raised $1000 to be used to benefit five organizations that support the sanctity of life. Right to Life of Southwest Indiana, Project Rachel, Marian Educational Outreach, River Bend Nursing and Rehabilitation, and Little Lambs.
This past April, Mater Dei High School held a “Celebrate Life” assembly. The main objective of the assembly was to celebrate the gift of ALL human life. Students were gifted with T-shirts that read, "Wildcats Roar for Life". These shirts were donated by Right to Life of Southwest Indiana. Mary Ellen VanDyke, the Executive Direction of Right to Life of Southwest Indiana was present, and took time to recognize Mater Dei students Greg Mayer and Mina Reising for their participation and placement in the Right to Life Oratory Speech Competition.
We look forward to making this an annual event, in hopes that we will continually challenge ourselves to truly celebrate the beauty and dignity of all human life! May we always be able to see that life is worth roaring about!
Fr. Ed Schnur was present to begin our assembly with prayer and a few words of encouragement. Indiana Senator Tomes made time to share a powerful witness to the importance of prayer and courage to defend the sanctity of life of the unborn. Quite possibly the highlight of the day was listening to Jason Gries speak about he and his wife Erin (Zenthoefer) Gries 96’, testimony of being open to God’s plan for their life. 29
